Seattle cop's vintage cruiser attracts attention

The fully restored 1970 Plymouth Satellite police cruiser was initially used to develop a friendly relationship with the community

Oregon Live via Associated Press

SEATTLE — At a recent scene of a fight on Seattle’s waterfront, most of the gawkers weren’t looking at the handcuffed and yelling suspect or the bloodied victim.

Instead, their attention and cameras were directed at a fully restored 1970 Plymouth Satellite police cruiser. It’s the common reaction to the vehicle driven by 30-year-veteran Officer Jim Ritter. The cruiser is part of the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, a nonprofit that Ritter founded in 1997. By his count, the Plymouth has caused at least three fender-benders.

“People will stop their cars and run across three lanes of traffic to get a picture of it and park their car in the middle of the street and block traffic. It has its drawbacks, but if those are the worst things to happen, I’ll take it any day over having people not wanting to approach the police,” Ritter said.